Door-closing device.



M. F, Hlm-:9. DOOR CLUSING DEVICE.

(Application led Hay 6, 1991.)

2 sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES A VORNE-YS TH: mams persas oo.. pHoro-umn.. wnsmncron. o, e.

MARTIN F. HINES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DOOR-CLOSING DEVICE.

SPECJEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,069, dated ovember5, 19 O1.

Application tiled May 6, 1901.

To @ZZ wwm t may concern/.1

Be it known that I, MARTIN F. HINES, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the count-yof Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Door-Olosing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a mechanism for automatically closing a dooror doors at a certain period after they have been opened.

The invention is useful in many connections, a notable example of whichis in fireengine houses, in which the doors are opened for the exit ofthe team and engine and in which it is desired to automatically closethe doors at a certain time after the passage of the team and engine andthe firemen.

This specification is a specificdescription of one form of theinvention, while the claims are definitions of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is an interior elevation of the mechanism constituting myinvention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of tlie ball-run and the partsadjacent thereto. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, showing one of thesections of the door in elevation; and Fig. 5 is a detail section of thecontact-points.

@represents a part of a building, and b the doors, which are here shownas of the double class.

b represents cords which are attached, respectively, to the doors andpass over sheaves a carried in the door-framimr and thence` over sheavesa?, carried at the sides'of the door. The ends of the cords b haveweights b2 attached thereto, and these weights tend normally to closethe doors.

c and d represent, respectively, catches for holding the doors open.These catches are pivotally mounted in the walls of the building andhave hooks c' and d', respectively, at their outer ends, these hooksengaging keepers b3 on the doors b. (See Fig. 4.) The catch c projectsinto the building and has a rod e connected therewith. The catch is somounted that it will Anormally swing downward at Serial No. 53,918. (Nomodel.)

its outer end, thus lifting the rod c. This rod extends downward and isformed with a cranked lower portion e', mounted to turn in a keeper e2.Sliding on the rod e at points above the crank e is a weight e3. Whenthe crank e is thrown inward toward the wall of the building, .theweight `e3 should be manually placed on a forked projection e4, whichstraddles the rod e, so as to be sustained by said projection, and whenthe crank e is thrown outward the weight e3 will be disengaged from theprojection e4 and will thereupon fall to a collar eon the rod c, locatedjust above the crank e. This will cause the heft of the Weight c3 to betransmitted to the rod e, and then the catch c will be thrown upward atits outer end, releasing the hook c from its engagement with thecorresponding door. The door which engages with the hook c' (theright-hand door in Fig. 1) carries a block f. (See Fig. l.) As this doorreturns the block f, carried thereby, strikes against thedownwardly-disposed crank f on a horizontal shaft f2, mounted to rockover the doors and extending to the catch d, where the shaft f2 is.provided with a crank f3, engaging an upwardly-disposed projection d2on the catch d. As the block fstrikes the crank f it rocks the shaft f2and the crank f3 outward, and when the crank f3 engages the end cl2 ofthe catch d it throws up the Outer end of the hook CZ' of the catch andreleases the other door b, which immediately returns by the action ofits weight b2.

g indicates a tube or socket-piece which is adapted normally to containa ball h, capable of forming an electrical conductor, as will behereinafter explained. This tube g is normally closed to hold the ball7L therein by a pin g', which slides transversely in the tube and ispressed outward to open the tube by an expansive spring g2. v

g3 indicates a stud on the right-hand door b, and when the door isclosed this stud strikes the pin g and presses it into the socket-pieceg against the action of the spring g2. Vhen the right-hand door hisopened, the spring g2 withdraws the pin g and allows the ball h to rollfrom the socket-piece g. From the socket-piece g the ball h passesValong an inclined plane iinto a zigzag guideway'i, which finallydischarges the ball into a cn p k. This ICO ff) La cup carries twoelectrical cont-acts 71;', which are connected with the terminals of anelectric circuit. As the ball h rolls into the cup 7c it connects thecontacts 7c and closes the circuit. This circuit includes anelectromagnet k2, operating an armature 7c3, and this armatureisconnected with a swinging arm 7a4, attached to the collar e5 of therod e. As the armature k3 is attracted it transmits a movement to theshaft e, turning outward the crank e and dropping the weight es.

In using the apparatus the shaft e is adjusted to its inwardposition-that is to say, adjacent to the wall-and the Weight eS ispoised on the projection e4, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l.Assuming now that the doors are open, they will engage their keepers b3with the hooks c and dl, respectively, and the doors will then be heldin open position. Simultaneously the ball 7?. is released and it beginsto travel down the zigzag way t2. When it reaches the bottom of thisway, it falls into the cup 7c and closes the circuit of the magnet k2.This causes the shaft e to be rocked outward, and the weight e3 is thendisengaged from the projection e4 and falls upon the collar e5. Thiscauses the rod e to be thrown downward, thus raising the outer end ofthe catch c and releasing the righthand door. (See Fig. '1.) As thisdoor swings closed the blockfoperates the shaft f2 and causes the catchd to release the left-hand door, which then closes under the action ofits weight. It is obvious that by lengthening the sizeof the inclinedway i2 the period which it takes the ball h to roll downward into thecup k may be regulated, and thus the doors may be closed at any timedesired after they have been opened. By shortening the way i2 the doorswill be closed almost immediately, and by lengthening this way a greaterperiod will elapse before the doors are closed. I desire it understoodthat any sort of electromagnetic mechanism may be employed for operatingthe rod e. That here shown is merely an example of the severalmechanisms which may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as lnew and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a door, means tending to closethe same, a catch for holding the door open, a time-controlled operatingdevice for releasing the catch, and means whereby said device may be setin operation by the opening of the door.

2. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catchfor holding the door open, a time-controlled operating device for thecatch to release the same, a second door, means tending to close thesame, a catch for the second door, and a connection between thelast-named catch andthe rst-named door.

3. The' combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catchacting to hold the door open, a weightactuating the catch to release thesame, a time-controlled mechanism for throwing the weight, and meanswhereby said mechanism may be set in operation by the opening of thedoor.

4. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catchacting to hold the door open, means for actuating the catch to releaseit, and a time-controlled device for setting said actuating means inoperation, and means whereby the time-controlled device will be set inoperation when the door is opened.

5. The combination of a door, means tending to close the same, a catchacting to hold the door open, means for actuating the catch, a ball, arestraining device for the ball, said restraining device being releasedby the movement of the door, and a Way along which the ball runs foroperating the means for actuating the catch.

6. The combination of a door, means for closing the door, means forholding the door open, a releasing device for the door-holding means,and a ball and a way over which the ball travels for controlling thereleasing device.

7. The combination with a door, means for closing the same, and meansfor holding the door open, of an inclined way, a ball adapted to run onthe way, means controlled by the door for restraining and releasing theball, and means operated by the ball for operating the door-holdingmeans to release the door.

S. The combination with a door, means for closing the door, and meansfor holding the door open, of an inclined way, a ball adapted to run onthe inclined way, a restraining device for the ball, said restrainingdevice being operated by the door when it is opened to release the ball,a releasing device for the door-holding means, and means operated by theball for operating the releasing device.

9. The combination with a door, and means for closing the same, of alatch for holding the door open, a releasing device for the latch, aninclined way, a ball adapted to roll down the said way and put intooperation the releasing device, and means controlled by the door forholding and releasing the ball.

10. The combination with a door and means for closing the same, of alatch for holding the door open, a rod connected with the latch, asliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, and means forreleasing the weight to allow it to operate the said rod.

11. The combination with a door,and means for closing the same, of alatch for holding the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connectedwith the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight,and means for rocking said rod to canse the weight to be disengaged fromits support so as to operate said ro 12. The combination with a door,andmeans for closing the same, of a latch for holding the door open, asliding and rocking rod connected with the latch, a sliding weight onsaid rod, a support for said weight, and a time-con- IOO IIO

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trolled means for rocking the rod to cause the weight to be disengagedfrom its support so as to operate the said rod.

13. The combination with a door,and means for closing the same, of alatch for locking the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connectedwith the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight, atime-controlled means for rocking the rod to cause the Weight to bedisengaged from its support so as to operate the said rod, and meanswhereby the time-control1ed means will be set in operation by theopening of the door.

14. The combination with a doo1,and means for closing the saine, of alatch for holding the door open, a sliding and rocking rod connectedwith the latch, a sliding weight on the rod, a support for the weight,an inclined Way, a ball adapted to travel on said way, means for zosupporting and releasing the ball, an electromagnet having its armatureoperatively connected with said rod to turn the same, and contactsadapted to be connected by the said ball.

15. The combination with two doors, and means for closing them, of alatch for holding each door open, a time-controlled operating device forreleasing the latch of one door, and a connection between the latchofthe other door and the first-named door, wherebyr the latch of thesecond door will be opened when the first door is opened.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN F. IIINES.

Witnesses:

I. B. OWENS, JNO. M. RITTER.

